Nearly half the people in the survey - usually the head of the household - said they had been beaten for speaking Maori at school. Many of these people did not teach their own children the language, but they still spoke Maori with other Maori-speakers in the community. Although English was being used more and more in Kawakawa, the Maori language was still important in the lives of the people. Many of them were worried that the language would die out. Some said they were sorry they couldn't speak Maori better so that they could teach it to their children. A lot of people were strongly for the teaching of Maori in schools, especially at the primary level. However there were some who thought that the form of Maori taught should be the Ngapuhi dialect and not that of another tribe. One person said that the Maori language and culture could not be learned in school; for that, children had to live with and listen to the kaumatua and kuia.
Te Tai Tokerau | Northland | Far North | 1970-79 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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